Built up in Jesus – The Lamp & Light Post

Presence of Jesus

John 6:16–21 ¹⁶ Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, 17 got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them. 18 Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing. 19 So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid. 20 But He said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” 21 Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the lan d where they were going.
What’s the recipe for terror?
Make the setting a stormy sea in the predawn night,
then mix in a “ghost” striding across the water toward your boat
that would scare even seasoned fishermen who’ve “seen it all.”
When we are terrified by something, we’re fully convinced that everything will not be OK.
And here Jesus not only enters into his disciples’ fear, He causes it.
His answer to their terror is important for us to grasp.
He does not explain the situation or Himself; he reveals himself. “Don’t be afraid. I am here!”
Our assurance that everything will be OK has nothing to do with blindly optimistic explanations about outcomes.
Our assurance that everything will be OK has nothing to do us understanding the situation.
It has everything to do with the presence of Jesus in the midst of our fear.
- Exodus 33:15 15 Then he said to Him, “If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here.
And more than quelling our fears, Jesus will invite us to walk into them, always with him right by our side.

Declaration

Dear Heavenly Father, please give me a revelation of the power of the Gospel today. From this day forward, may Your grace be the foundation of my daily relationship with You.

I declare that I will be free from guilt, condemnation, and a performance mentality. I declare that I abide in faith, abound in hope, I keep myself in the love of God. I will overcome all trials, I will persevere, and develop Christ-like character by His power.

Open my heart to see the hope of my calling, to know the inheritance that I have in the saints, and to understand the depth of Your power at work in my life. Release upon me a Spirit of wisdom, revelation, and enlightenment today.

Lead me into an encounter with You that forever changes me and deepens my love for Jesus. Illuminate the truth of Your Word as You prepare my heart to receive it.

Amen.

Built up in Him

This years study is on the Grace that Jesus Christ offers.

The gospel is not only the “Good News,” but the “best news” anyone could ever receive.
Through simple faith in Jesus Christ, God’s Son, a person can be born again into a new life, an eternal life.
This changes us, who we are

The transformation of our lives takes place only when we meet Jesus Christ.

The change is radical.
Yet, it doesn’t stop there.

We are not simply “heaven-bound, forgiven sinners” with some reduction in the most blatant outward forms of sin

No, there should be real change in the quality of our life and our behavior.

This change is eternal.

The meaning of “eternal life” is not its quantity but the fact that it lasts forever.
We have to think eternal life in terms of its quality that starts when we are born again.
This process of growth in a new kind of life of quality in continuous.

Blessed Assurance

The growth of believers as a continuous process is also underscored by Scripture’s use of the imagery of “pilgrimage” or a “journey.”

Genesis 47:9 And Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The days of the years of my pilgrimage are one hundred and thirty years; few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.”

A journey is more than developing a good road map or having knowledge to navigate the way,

that is, it’s more than constructing a philosophy or theology of life.
It is the actual travel on the road, the living of this new life.
Psalm 16:11 You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

It is called the “path of life”, “pilgrimage” or a “journey.”

not only because of its destination and goal
but also, because to walk that way is to live, in the true sense of the word.

This spiritual journey of growth is more than its destination.

Our destination is Jesus.

Our goal is the prize given by Christ upon fulfillment of His calling

It starts when we are born again.
It must start now.

Old time Religion

Scripture talks about us growing in Christ.

Colossians 2:6–7 ⁶As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, ⁷ rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.

This new kind of life is the quality of life lived first by Jesus Christ and subsequently by those who’ve known him well and followed him closely.

The apostle Paul exemplified this in his own life.

Meeting Christ on the road to Damascus was only the beginning of his new life.
His passion was to “gain Christ” and to “know Him”
Philippians 3:8–10 ⁸Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; ¹⁰that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,

The Christian life for Paul was not simply waiting and hoping for his final perfection.

Philippians 3:12–14 ¹² Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. ¹³ Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, ¹⁴ I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

In saying that he “pressed on” Paul uses strong language, a Greek word that refers to zealous pursuit.

From the time that Christ laid hold of him, his life took off in a completely new direction.

The words “I do” in verse 13 is added by the translators. Without it, what Paul said would read like this: I have apprehended one thing, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

The stress is on “apprehended”, understood, caught

forgetting those things which are behind and
reaching forward to those things which are ahead,
I zealously pursue the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

He would not allow either his past failures or achievements to divert him from his pursuit of Christlikeness.

He had a goal – The prize given by Christ upon fulfillment of His calling.

Challenged but encouraged

God’s design for our continuous spiritual growth can be both encouraging and challenging.

It is challenging because we are subject to a thousand troubles and under sentence of death.
It may be trending downward,
But we are encouraged because our inner person is designed to continually grow upward.
2 Corinthians 4:16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.

So, on one hand, it is encouraging to know that though our physical bodies are going through wear and tear, our spiritual life can still go from strength to strength.

On the other hand, this is a challenge, because it does not allow any excuse for complacency or neglect or being “too old” to make any spiritual progress.

Called to grow

We are told to “crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation” when we are “newborn babies,”

1 Peter 2:2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,

As part of our calling, we “are being transformed into Christ’s image with ever-increasing glory.

2 Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
In the verse above, “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind,” the word translated as “transformed,” literally means, “be continually being transformed.”

Our growth as believers is a continuous process.

This is underscored by the frequent use of Greek present-tense verbs that denote continuous action.
We are to be “renewed [continually] in the spirit of our mind”
Ephesians 4:23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,
Colossians 3:10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him,

Summary

The message of Scripture is that our life in Christ is more than the forgiveness of sins,
more than the escape from God’s condemnation,
but a new way to live,
a new source of zest that thirsts and hungers for more.

Like all important areas of our life—physical, intellectual, and ethical—spiritual growth involves time and effort, but it pays off.

Ecclesiastes 5:19–20 ¹⁹ As for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, and given him power to eat of it, to receive his heritage and rejoice in his labor—this is the gift of God. ²⁰ For he will not dwell unduly on the days of his life, because God keeps him busy with the joy of his heart.
Psalm 1:1–3 ¹ Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; ² But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. ³ He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.
We will not dwell unduly on the days of our life,
because God keeps us busy with the joy of our heart.

What is that gives our heart joy?

Is it God?
Do we delight in Him?
Psalm 1:2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night.
Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
Proverbs 15:8 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, But the prayer of the upright is His delight.
Romans 7:22 For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man.